AFC Asian Cup: Here’s what happened when Qatar last played in the final in 2019

The last time Qatar was in the AFCON final, it faced Japan in 2019 and beat the Southeast Asian side 3-1, lifting its first major international trophy.

File Photo: Qatar’s players celebrate their victory during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup final against Japan | Photo Credit: AFP

Defending champion Qatar is set to feature in the AFC Asian Cup final for the second time in a row as it faces Jordan in front of home fans on Saturday, February 10.

The last time Qatar was in the AFCON final, it faced one of the tournament favourites Japan in 2019 and beat the Southeast Asian side 3-1 and lifted its first major international trophy.

Tournament top-scorer Ali took his tally to a record-breaking nine goals with a sublime overhead kick to open the scoring in the 12th minute.

Moments later in the 27th minute Abdelaziz Hatim then curled in a brilliant second giving Qatar a commanding lead at half-time.

Japan dominated possession after the break yet took its time to forge a response, with Qatar - who had kept six clean sheets en route to the final - finally conceded its first goal when Takumi Minamino scored in the 69th minute.

Finally in the 83rd minute, Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar punished Maya Yoshida’s handball with a coolly taken penalty to clinch the win for his nation.

Qatar will be hoping to add another trophy to its shelf as it faces Jordan in the final which just scraped through in the group stage but made a heroic effort in the knockout stage.